Wings for the Dragon

Air Classics, Sep 1999 by Barton, Charles

In 1934, Patterson had been designated United States Department of Commerce Inspector Stationed in Shanghai, China, with "all ratings authorized for performance of duty.' In 1938, this duty involved him in what the Hong Kong Standard called "the first major commercial aviation disaster in Hong Kong."

Patterson was giving an en route check flight to CNAC (China National Aviation Corporation) pilot Ed Smith in a flying boat bound down the coast to Hong Kong. Smith made great water landings at Swatow and Amoy, but as they approached Hong Kong at low altitude off Chilang Point, Patterson saw an ugly black squall in their path.

"Don't you think you'd better go around?" he saic

"I'm in command," sak Smith and continued as before. They hit the squall at an altitude of 500 or 801 feet. Almost immediately they were in the sea. Patterson and Smith were thrown clear and they and the passengers were picked up by junks. But three Chinese crew members died. Smith didn't get his license.

About this time, the saga of Chennault in China got underway. Patterson first met Claire Lee Chennault, redheaded, freckled-faced John H. "Luke" Williamson and chubby William C. "Billy" MacDonald when the "Three Men on a Flying Trapeze" parked their aircraft on Patterson's field between performances at a 1920s airshow in Los Angeles. After the Jouett Mission left China in the summer of 1935, Roy Holbrook, who had stayed on, wrote his old friend Chennault, then an Air Corps Captain in charge of tactical training at Maxwell Field, Alabama, and asked him to recommend new pilot instructors and engine specialists for the school at Shien Chiao. Among those Chennault recommended were his old aerobatic teammates, "Luke" Williamson and "Billy" MacDonald.

On 30 April 1937, Chennault retired from the Army Air Corps and in May left for China on a three-month contract from the Chinese. He stayed eight years, first as an advisor, 1937-- 1941; second as organizer of the First American Volunteer Group (Flying Tigers), 1941-42; third as commander of the United States China Air Task Force, 1942-43; and finally as commander of the 14th Air Force, 1943-45.

Shortly after arriving in China, Chennault confided to Patterson, "Pawley told me that he has an exclusive on all major sales of aircraft to the Chinese Air Force and that he will make it worth my while to concur."

This was a major mistake on Pawley's part. Chennault was not for sale. Furthermore, Chennault strongly favored the Seversky P-35 over the Curtiss Hawk that Pawley was trying to sell to the Chinese.

Patterson was planning to attend the 1937 National Air Races in Cleveland, Ohio, as he did every year, and Chennault made two requests: "Pat, I want you to look for a primary trainer to replace the Fleets. It's too big a jump from the old biplanes to the new pursuits coming into service. And get an agency agreement from Sasha (Seversky). I'm recommending the P-35 to the Gimo and Madame Chiang."

Chennault and Seversky, a World War One combat pilot in the Russian Air Force who lost a leg after his bomber was shot down but went on to score 13 victories as a one-legged fighter pilot, were friends. When Chennault talked about his ideas for new pursuit tactics, Seversky listened. The P-35 was the result. But Seversky had not been able to sell the plane to the Air Corps, even though the test team at Wright Patterson, of which Chennault had been a member, rated the P-35 a better plane than the Curtis Hawk 75.